ENG-W vs IND-W : Lauren Bell produces an absolute jaffa to dismiss Yastika Bhatia on Day 1 of the Lord’s Test

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The historic setting of Lord’s Cricket Ground provided the perfect canvas for high-stakes Test cricket as the highly anticipated ENG-W vs IND-W Only Test commenced on July 10, 2026. With the traditional red ball offering plenty of intrigue under the morning skies, England Women won the toss and elected to field first, looking to exploit the early moisture. While India‘s batting lineup showed incredible resilience to claw their way to 108/3 by the end of the opening session, the morning undoubtedly belonged to moments of individual bowling brilliance. Among them, a spectacular piece of seam bowling from England’s premier pacer set social media alight.

The defining highlight of the first session arrived in the seventh over, producing a visual that will be replayed for years. Facing a probing opening spell from Lauren Bell, India’s number three batter Yastika Bhatia was visually working hard to settle into her rhythm. Having fought her way to 12 runs off 17 deliveries, including two crisp boundaries, Bhatia looked ready to anchor the top order alongside opener Smriti Mandhana.

However, on the final delivery of the 7th over (6.6 overs), Bell produced an absolute jaffa that left the batter entirely dumbfounded. Pushing the ball in on a length, the delivery initially tracked late through the air, swinging in sharply toward middle and leg stump. As Bhatia looked to close her bat face to work it away, the ball nipped violently off the seam, jiving completely across her defensive line.

Before Bhatia could even register the deviation, the ball zipped past the outside edge and struck the off-stump flush. The Indian left-hander stood frozen in disbelief at the sheer amount of movement, departing for 12 as the scoreboard ticked over to a precarious 37/2. It was a classic Test match dismissal that highlighted Bell’s elite ability to manipulate the seam under ideal English conditions.

Belly gets Yastika 👏

What a start.

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 10, 2026

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While India managed to steady the ship later in the session, England’s bowling unit dominated the opening hour after Nat Sciver-Brunt put the visitors in to bat. The home side struck almost immediately when Lauren Filer forced explosive opener Shafali Verma into a fatal mistake in just the second over. Verma fell for a four-ball duck, caught sharply behind by wicketkeeper Amy Jones, leaving India reeling at 4/1 in 1.2 overs.

Following Verma’s departure, Bhatia and Mandhana attempted to weather the storm, navigating a tense review by England in the third over where an LBW shout against Bhatia was struck down by umpire’s call. Bell’s breakthrough to dismiss Bhatia shortly after threatened to break open the Indian middle order.

England’s disciplined approach kept the pressure mounting, with Sophie Ecclestone turning in a tight spell of 6 overs for 29 runs. Issy Wong also reaped the rewards of sustained pressure later in the session, clean-bowling Jemimah Rodrigues for a well-made 35 off 38 balls, just as India reached the 101-run milestone. Despite the early setbacks and sitting at three wickets down, India found comfort in a brilliant, unbeaten counter-attacking half-century from Smriti Mandhana, who alongside skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, guided India to 122/3 at the close of an exhilarating first session.

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This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.